EPA Approves Plan for Algae Harvesters at Lake Agawam, Bringing Project Another Step Closer to Fruition

The long-awaited arrival and installation of three algae harvesters that will help remove toxic algae from Lake Agawam in Southampton Village is getting closer to being a reality.

Just a few weeks after Southampton Town voters approved a land swap in a townwide referendum that will allow the town to alienate an area of parkland in the village to install and house the harvesters, village officials received the news that the Environmental Protection Agency has signed off on necessary approvals that will allow the project to move forward.

The EPA approved the required environmental assessments and, as of the end of last month, finalized the language for a 30-day public notice.

Representatives from AECOM, the Florida-based engineering firm that will manufacture and install the three harvesters, notified the State Department of Environmental Conservation at the end of last month that the EPA had given the project the green light, and also confirmed with DEC officials that they had sent in all the necessary materials for DEC review of the project. AECOM officials also reached out to Senator Chuck Schumer’s office as well as Governor Kathy Hochul’s office to request support for expediting the permitting process.

Once the project receives DEC approval, AECOM can begin manufacturing the harvesters, shipping them north and then installing them.

Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger was happy with the latest development and said he is hopeful that DEC approval will come sooner rather than later. He said he did not expect any work on the harvesters to be done during the colder months, but was optimistic that by the time the weather warms up, the installation process could begin.

The village secured more than $10 million of grant money — roughly half from a federal grant and half from the Southampton Town Community Preservation Fund’s water quality program — to purchase the three harvesters, designed and built by AECOM.

When installed, the harvesters will treat up to 3 million gallons of Lake Agawam water each day by binding algae cells together to form larger algae particles, physically removing the algae from the water and returning clean water back into the lake. The algae harvesters also remove key nutrients fueling the harmful algae blooms, such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

The harvesters will be set up at Doscher Park, a small and formerly underutilized CPF-owned parcel adjacent to Agawam Park, totaling 1.6 acres. In order to do that, Southampton Town was required to go through the process of alienating the parkland, essentially exchanging it for another piece of preserved land, in this case a much larger 4.2-acre parcel at nearby 137 Pond Lane.

State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. sponsored legislation that was enacted in the State Legislature in September 2023 that paved the way for allowing the land swap — but the law also required approval by the town electorate via a public referendum.

The harvesters will operate nine months out of the year, shutting down during the colder months.

The harvesters will not be there permanently, but the time frame for how long they will need to operate depends on the efficacy of the harvesters in cleaning the lake, and is expected to take anywhere from three to five years, and possibly longer. While they are expected to be effective, based on their use in other parts of the country, the harvesters will have their work cut out until the village can get a sewer district up and running — which will greatly decrease the volume of polluting substances entering the lake.